The
rumors of a Google Nexus tablet took another step towards reality this week,
with a Wall Street Journal report confirming Google’s plans. The idea is for
Google to try a direct to consumer sales model for the second time; it tried
this in 2010 with the Nexus One, but the concept didn’t change the way
consumers buy phones as Google had hoped. There’s a key difference this time,
however, as Sascha Segan correctly points out at PC Magazine: Carriers won’t be
involved.
Instead,
Google will sell the tablets over the web and ship them to buyers; end of
process. With the Nexus One, carriers had to be involved to some degree as the
phone would be using the carrier networks and need a carrier plan. A Google
Nexus tablet, however, would likely be a Wi-Fi only device, so the customer
relationship would be directly between Google and the end users. Google doesn’t
even need to rely on the web only as it could sell its tablet through retail
stores such as Target, WalMart, BestBuy and others, just as Amazon does with
its Kindle devices.
So
it’s a safe bet that this tablet won’t have cellular capabilities. That will
help keep costs down for the devices, expected to be built first by Asus, and
later by Samsung. If the tablet isn’t exactly like the Asus MeMo slate shown
off at CES — with a reported price of $249 — it should be similar. I’d expect
at least a dual-core processor (the MeMo
will use a quad-core chip), 7-inch display, limited internal memory — say 8- or
16 GB — with microSD expansion, Android 4.0 software, front and rear cameras,
plus support for high-definition output on large screens. That could sway some
away from a Kindle Fire, especially if priced at $199 or less, although
Amazon’s simple interface and wider range of digital content could still
challenge sales.
One
device that isn’t challenged of late is the Samsung Galaxy Note; even with the
“dreaded” stylus, Samsung has sold 5 million of the large phone / small tablet
devices. The 5.3-inch handset is likely picking up momentum overseas as
AT&T has only sold the device in the U.S. for the past 6 weeks. Samsung is
wisely looking to the stylus as a way to stand apart from the crowded sea of
Android phones. The company has already announced that when it upgrades the
Galaxy Note to Android 4.0 in the next three months, it will add more software
functions that use the stylus.
Whether
or not your Android phone has a stylus, you can now cut down on your data usage
when browsing: Opera release the final version of its Opera Mini 7 browser this
week and it’s an excellent way to quickly browse on the cheap. Opera claims up
to a 90 percent data savings when using Opera Mini because the company
compresses information and pictures from websites and the delivers the content.
This happens in milliseconds, so there’s no real delay in the experience,
although you are providing Opera with your browsing history as a result. I use
Opera Mini as a two-browser strategy: For basic short bursts of using the web,
I’ll hit Opera Mini. When I’m consumer large amounts of video or other content,
I reach for Chrome on my Android 4.0 device.
View
orginal article here-Android
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